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Monday, January 8, 2018

Feeling happy

Dear friends,

Today has been wonderful!! We woke up to a cold 18 degrees, but by lunch time the temperature was above freezing. First time in 209 hours! By 4:00 it was a wonderful warm 45 degrees! 

There was sunshine too a good part of the day. I hung Eli's damp frozen blankets on the clothesline to air and dry out.


  Even the birds seemed happier.

Back on November 20th, Sandra at prairiepatchquilts.blogspot.com did a post on Swedish Weaving. I was so excited because I've never known anybody except my mother who did Swedish Weaving, or as mama called it, Swedish Darning.

I have searched the house over looking for the red Swedish Darning afghan mama made for me, and cannot find it, but I do have the one I was working on before mama died. She was teaching me...


It was so close to being finished...just 6 or 8  inches left at the bottom, then make the fringe.  

The sad part is, I can't figure out now, how to finish it. The instructions are very difficult...to me, anyhow. Let me show you. These are in mama's handwriting...



Mama used to cut all the lengths of yarn she would need and put the yarn in envelopes marked Row 1, Rows 2 & 3, Rows 3 & 4, and so forth.

Many many times while working on my afghan, a row would get to looking off. Mama would notice it and say, here, let me go back to where you made the mistake...she would sit and patiently take out stitches and get me going again. 

It has been at least 12 years now and I could never figure out from these instructions, how to make those last rows of stitching. 

Mama also made Shelby an afghan, and made all of her granddaughters afghans, and several of her nieces. 

I hope that you will check out Sandra's blog. She has made several beautiful afghans, or throws, (mama always called them afghans) using pretty colors and patterns.

Guess that's about it. Oh, except for this...

This clean white bedspread was washed and dried and put on the bed this morning. But that's okay. These kitty cats earn their keep. Why, Smokey brought us a little mouse one day last week. Left it right at the front door. Made me feel really sad, but I didn't tell him. 

Love,
Henny









37 comments:

  1. Oh Henny, yours is a beautiful afghan. I love the design. My blankets were done by following a colored guide. I will check my books and see if I can find your design. I will be happy to help you in any way to get this blanket done. Your choice of colors are so pretty. Let me check my books and I will get back with you on this matter. Thanks so much for the mention of my blog. Since this was something special that you and your mom worked on together...lets get this finished.

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    1. Thank you Sandra! I would appreciate any help. I thought about cutting off the unfinished end and then trying to add the fringe...but I'm afraid to try it. I'm leaving this morning to go to my sister's in Durham to pick up a young goat. :) Thank you!

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    2. Sandra, I really do want to finish this afghan and appreciate your offer to help me find a way. If you need to email me, it's hennypennylane@gmail.com. Thank you so much!

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  2. my old dog used to want to hop into any bed she could find in her youth. Dog had so much dirt (which amazes me considering she didn't stay outside for very long) in her fur it was not really an option.

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  3. Hi! Eli sure has a lot of blankets! That weaving sure looks like it would take a lot of patience which I don't have! The kitties look pretty against your white spread. I am sure they appreciate it just being washed for them! Nancy

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  4. Oh my, that's so pretty! Is it possible to hem the throw with binding in some way that you don't have to finish it with more stitches? It's pretty the way it is.

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  5. That is a beautiful afghan. I hope you can figure out how to finish it. Some where along the way from moving so much I lost the yarn crochet afghan grandma made me. Makes me sad.
    Love you bunches.

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  6. The afghan made by Swedish weaving/darning is so lovely with the neutral colours ans pretty design. I
    hope someone can help you finish it. I started to read the instructions and they might as well be in Greek!
    I hope you get a lot more sunny days with warmer temperatures.

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  7. I have never heard of or seen this kind of needle work. I am familiar with Swedish coverlet weaving done on a loom and the patterns are similar. Beautiful.

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  8. Your afghan is just beautiful. I hope someone can help figure out how to finish it. I've never heard of this weaving by hand. Your afghan looks like it would have taken forever to make. My sister-in-law's sister actually went to Sweden after high school to learn weaving. She's 70 now and still there. She married a Swede and still weaves. I'm sure glad you got some reasonable weather. We finally had a day where we went above freezing after a little over 2 weeks. I actually walked in the park today for exercise at 37 degrees. But it won't last of course. We go back in the deep freeze Thursday night. Enjoy your beautiful weather while it lasts.

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    1. Peg, I love the story of your sister-in-law's sister. Her story would make a good book. I have enjoyed these few warmer days, but we have more cold coming too. It's not supposed to be as cold as what we had last week, thankfully!

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  9. Wow, Swedish weaving. How neat is that? It's warming up here too, but now they are saying another possible snow storm this weekend. I hope they are wrong.

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  10. That is gorgeous! And what a treasure to have her notes :-).

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  11. We're very happy with our little dog, but your picture makes me miss our many years of cats.

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  12. How wonderful to have your Mums notes, I do hope that you will be able to figure it out and that you are able to finish it.

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  13. I know nothing about weaving, so am no help to you there. But hopefully someone will know. I'm not terribly good and working from written instructions... would rather have someone show me... and be there when I mess up. As for the kitties on the white bedspread - been there, done that. We actually put in dark gray carpeting on our stairs (only carpeting we have in the house) so that the cat hair (black and dark gray) wouldn't show so much. And yes, they are worth it.

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  14. Wonderful to have the hand written notes. I'm unfamiliar with that craft, but I think with the notes and being able to look at rows already done on the afghan, I'd be able to figure it. Reading the instructions, it seems very daunting, but I think if you just took one step at a time, and then compared it to the same row that is already done, you can get through it. Otherwise I would say just hem it where it is at now, and don't worry about the fringe. Or just use it as it is, it is beautiful and only you would know that the blank strip at the bottom wasn't supposed to be there :-)

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  15. That's a shame about the afghan, hope someone can help you figure it out.

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  16. Yes what Karen said you will be able to figure it out if you go row by row:)

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  17. Forgot to say it is just beautiful and probably a lost art! :)

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  18. Isn't if funny how we get all excited about 45 degree weather :)
    I finally got my outside decorations returned to the garden shed, this Thursday when it's predicted to be 67 degrees, I think I shall clean the porches and wash the quilts that the cats lay on daily.
    I simply love your afghan, such a beautiful pattern, and that your mom taught you how to sew even more special.
    Beautiful.
    ~Jo

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  19. Go on the Nordic.Needle website. They have all sorts of info about all kinds of stitching - Swedish Weaving being one of them. I would also email them to see if they have a contact in your area that would be willing to sit with you and show you how to figure it out. Love Swedish Weaving.

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    1. Thank you Jean! I will do that. I appreciate the help.

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  20. Funny how cats can detect a newly washed bedspread or freshly vacuumed carpet. Beautiful weaving. You'll figure it out, I'm sure.

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  22. Glad you got a nice warm sunny day to make you happy. : )
    The weaved afghan is beautiful.

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  23. Henny,
    Looking at the pictures of your afghan, I think I've made one with this very pattern! Actually, Swedish weaving is quite easy to do, and I found it to be very relaxing. Mine is done with varigated yarn, dark greens, maroons and neutral-it goes well with the Christmas season. I'm sure I still have the pattern and am willing to share it with you if you would like it.

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    1. Thank you Linda! I would love to have the pattern. You can email me at hennypennylane@gmail.com or do I need to send you my address? Thank you so much!

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  24. Henny,
    Looking at the pictures of your afghan, I think I've made one with this very pattern! Actually, Swedish weaving is quite easy to do, and I found it to be very relaxing. Mine is done with varigated yarn, dark greens, maroons and neutral-it goes well with the Christmas season. I'm sure I still have the pattern and am willing to share it with you if you would like it.

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  25. That's a beautiful throw and looks a bit like cross stitch but without the crosses of course. I can see how the directions would be difficult to follow but as someone above said looking at the same pattern that is completed above and comparing it with the directions might be of some help to get you started.

    Those kitties look pretty comfortable on that bright clean bedspread. They always manage to find the warmest and most comfortable spots in the house for their naps.

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  26. Your afghan is beautiful; I do hope that you figure it all out and are able to finish it, your so close:) Congratulations, your the first person this year to hang clothes out on the line, they look so wonderful:) Spring is coming . . .
    Have a lovely day.
    Connie:)

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  27. That afghan is beautiful! I love the colors used in it. I do hope that someone out there can help you finish those last few inches so you can enjoy using the afghan. How special to have something that your mama taught you to do.

    Sandra does amazing handwork, doesn't she? I just love her quilts, too!

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  28. I hope your post will bring someone to help you finish your afghan. The cats on your clean white spread made me smile. Each has defined his own territory and they all appear to be about the same size. How do they do that?? Rosie stays on our bed pretty much the whole day and when we are not looking she moves to follow the sun. Smart girl.

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  29. Lovely afghan and such a sweet story with it. I kept making mistakes in trying to do a knitting stitch. I typed the instructions in on YouTube and up popped a video that showed what to do step by step. I learned that I was working the stitch backwards. After the video ,I was able to finish my project. You might try this on your instructions. I hope this helps

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  30. Could you maybe look back at what was the very first rows to tell how to do? I am so dead tired I cannot focus enough to read the directions. But it sure is beautiful and I hope you can finish it.

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  31. I love the Swedish weaving on your afghan. Oh my goodness, it sounds a wee bit chilly over there. Isn't sunshine the happiest of things.

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  32. Your lovely kitty cats are decorative, and they know it! :) The Swedish Darning is just beautiful. There are so many wonderful craft skills, and I hope we don't lose them. Maybe you will pick it up again some day. I had never heard of that particular skill. Your blankets on the line look so good. I'm also eager for warmer weather and being OUTSIDE.

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